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YARNMARKET.COM NEWS ISSUE #59
In This Issue:
Cardigan Sweaters & Jackets: The Must Have Wardrobe Enhancers for Winter 2009 | An Enthusiastic Yarnmarket Welcome to Misti Alpaca & Three Fabulous Yarns | Sensational New Yarns, Colors & Books from Elsebeth Lavold Now in Stock | Consider Fabulous Valentine's Day Gifts for Your Special Relatives & Friends | Check Out Our Recent Expansion of the Cashmere Merino Silk Yarn Collection from Sublime | Spring Forward with New Berroco Books Featuring Warm Weather Fashions & Yarns | Check Out Yarnmarket's New YouTube Spot & Sign Up for Updates | Reminders about Our Pattern Contest, New Online Fashion Magazine & Customer Service
Cardigan Sweaters & Jackets: The Must Have Wardrobe Enhancers for Winter 2009
The big news on the fashion scene this winter is definitely the major emphasis on adding at least one cardigan to your wardrobe for the season and well into spring. And this trend is getting coverage in more than just the haute-couture and ready-to-wear markets. As recently as last month, USA Weekend reporter Michele Meyer did a piece on cardigans making a big comeback perhaps because as she puts it, "Like an embrace, these sweaters that button down the front harken back to times when Granny wove magical garments to keep us warm when we felt most vulnerable."
But we also must agree with designer Jamie Kreitman, who explains that cardigans are actually comfortable fashion statements when the traditional is in vogue as it is now: "There's nothing edgy or extreme about a cardigan. Anyone can wear one. It's unconfining yet hides what it should."
An interesting comment, right, and this designer is definitely calling attention to the real sweater dilemma we all face -- how do we choose the right cardi for our body size & shape??? By following a few basic principles of what to accent & what not to emphasize, we can all enjoy the must-have garment for Winter 2009 according to About.com: Women's Fashions.
First off, we need to consider the length that looks best on us. Cardigans can range from long coat styles to cropped shrugs & boleros, and this variety needs to be tailored to your torso length & body shape. The general rule of thumb is that longer is usually better right now from the fashion-forward perspective; however, if you're petite, you're better off creating the Little Big Wool Dill Shrug than the Big Wool Bouncy Berry Jacket. The shrug accents a smaller bust line & lengthens a short torso, while the longer jacket would look better on a taller, heavier woman because it slims the body by elongating it & drawing the eye down & away from any potential figure flaws such as large hips.
Next take a look at how fitted or unfitted the sweater is because this choice will also be determined by your size. For example, unfitted swing jackets are all the rage right now, but they look particularly great on what are referred to as "apples" or wide rectangles" -- folks whose middles are wider than their bust lines. When an apple is decked out in the Touche Nigella Swing Jacket or the Captivating Swing Sweater, she will know she is accenting her sense of style and de-emphasizing body areas as she wishes.
On the other hand, according to Susan Cernek of Glam.com, one of the best ways to create an easy-to-fit cardi for hourglass figures and for "slim rectangles" is to "get waisted" as Susan puts it. We know she'd like the flattering line of the Easy Soft Jacket from Gedifra Design Director Karola Gottwald. Also hourglass women should try the feminine Bamboucle Lakshmi Wrap Cardigan with its to-the-side front closure. One other terrific wrap cardi design we recommend is the Geode Galena Wrap Cardigan with its subtle use of striping and multiple layering options.
Now that you've decided on the best length & fit for your body shape & size, start considering some of the finer details to look for. For instance the neckline and use of a collar can have a major impact on how well your cardigan flatters your face & upper body. When you need to de-emphasize wide shoulders and/or a well-endowed upper body (what is often referred to as the "inverted triangle"), stay away from boat-neck and scoop-necked sweaters because they tend to broaden out your upper torso as explained on eHow.com.
But if you have narrow shoulders that are smaller than your hips (the "triangle" shape), boat necks & scoop necklines could be perfect for you as with the Qina Tuta Kuri Cardigan. However, if you're looking for the neckline that is the most flattering to the widest range of shapes & sizes, then go with the V-neck. As you can see in the Silk Garden V-Neck Cardigan, the V shape slims your face & draws the eye away from any figure flaws. Then when you add a collar to the V-neckline as with the Pashmina Ribbed V-Neck Cardigan or neckline embellishments such as those shown in the V-Neck Cardigan with Trim, you actually widen the area & distract the eye from any upper body figure flaws.
One last design feature to consider for your perfect cardi choice is the sleeve length of your sweater. Even though long sleeved cardigans are the most common style, other sleeve lengths & styles may flatter your body shape & size more attractively. If you have broad shoulders, the editors of eHow.com suggest soft shoulder lines & raglan sleeves to draw the eye away from your width. And if you have heavy upper arms but lovely wrists & jewelry you like to showcase, think about elbow-length or 3/4-length sleeves such as with the Invernal 3/4 Sleeve Cardigan. Even short sleeves like those in the Linen Jeans Nolicare Cardigan can work year round because this versatile sweater is a great layering option for many figure types. The shaping of these short sleeves make all the difference, and one of the main reasons this lovely design can be sized beautifully up to 2X.
Now of course, we have to include fashionable cardigans & jackets for all the little ones in your life too, so here are our staff recommendations for your favorite children:
The Snuggly Baby Bamboo Cardigan has the V-neck, use of the collar and interesting bobble details to please many children & wee ones.
Then the Snuggly Bubbly One Button Cardigan is a loose-fitting, easy-to-fit cardi with added texture.
Or go with the unisex Snuggly Bubbly V Neck Cardigan or the Darling V-Neck Cardigan for the most versatile styles overall.
An Enthusiastic Yarnmarket Welcome to Misti Alpaca & Three Fabulous Yarns
This month please join us in welcoming one of the premier yarn companies in the world to our Yarnmarket family -- Misti Alpaca. Proudly continuing a family tradition of four generations of Peruvian alpaca expertise, Miguel Paz & his wife Lisa have developed a marvelous collection of hand painted natural fiber & fiber blend yarns in a variety of weights. The Misti brand carries with it a family commitment to providing North American knitters with the highest quality alpaca. Along with this promise comes a strong sense that alpaca fiber is the pride of Peru, the gold of the Andes and the true cultural tradition of Ancient Peru.
First comes sensational Misti Alpaca Chunky. Fulfilling Misti's promise of superior alpaca fibers, "Misti Alpaca Chunky" is an exquisite choice for your cool-weather knitting & crochet projects. This high-quality alpaca is smooth, velvety soft, incredibly lightweight & durable. And since "Misti Alpaca Chunky" is 100% pure, it's absolutely thermal because its hollow fiber and microscopic air pockets help you maintain your body heat yet allow your skin to "breathe" in warmer weather.
Then as the perfect complement to single-hued "Hand Paint Chunky," we also have in stock and ready to ship to you beautifully variegated Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky, a quick-to-create wonder. Spun from 100% baby alpaca and hand painted by Peruvian artisans, this fiber gem is specially "dyed to the stitch" using a technique with literally 100s of colors in each colorway. So superbly does each color gradually blend into the next we bet you'll marvel at all the luscious color combos and find it challenging to choose just one.
To round out the current collection, we've also added Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Sock for all you sock lovers. For the ultimate in fingering-weight softness, this yarn's exquisite blend of 50% alpaca, 30% merino wool, 10% silk & 10% nylon gives you an ultra-soft, durable, warm yet lightweight option for socks, fine-gauge knitwear, even heirloom baby outfits. And it's as much of a sensational experience to knit & crochet with this beauty as it is to enjoy wearing the completed garments.
We're also working with Misti Alpaca to be able to offer you downloadable free patterns from the Yarnmarket store, and while we're working out the kinks in our system, please enjoy the free Misti Alpaca patterns you can download & print from their website. We immediately fell in love with the "Misti Chunky Ribs & Ruffles Scarf," or you can experiment with the beautiful "Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky" and enjoy the "Le Petit Echarpe" or the little scarf. There's even a terrific pattern to knit socks for the whole family, so check out the collection.
Sensational New Yarns, Colors & Books from Elsebeth Lavold Now in Stock
Over the past 18 months, you've been enjoying our Elsebeth Lavold yarn plus her distinctive designs as featured in our Elsebeth Lavold books department. This month we're eager to share with you two new yarns and five new books showcasing the new yarns plus our current collection too.
First off, get ready to enjoy supersoft, worsted-weight Calm Wool. With velvety texture plus warmth & wearability, "Calm Wool" is an exquisite blend of wool, camel & alpaca. This fiber combo gives "Calm Wool" elegance yet with a touch of the rustic too. Definitely a luxurious, exotic blend at an affordable price, "Calm Wool" knits up into lovely sweaters, jackets, hats, scarves, vests and more!
Then we also have in stock and ready to ship to you versatile Silky Flamme. Superbly crafted in Peru of 50% Peruvian wool, 30% alpaca & 20% silk, "Silky Flamme" is constructed of an untwisted core strand wrapped by a lovely thick & thin ply for added texture & variety. The high dose of silk gives a lovely sheen, while the alpaca & wool give you softness & warmth. Ideal for knitting sweaters, gloves, bags, jackets, hats & more whether they're in the simple garter stitch or intricate cables.
To support these lovely new yarns and the eight new colors of Silky Wool we've recently added, explore Elsebeth's superb designs in:
Book #10: Kashmiri Love, which includes 14 patterns for the whole family and inspired by the fashions of Victorian England;
Book 12: A Walk in the Park also with 14 projects but this time they demonstrate what Elsebeth calls "urban elegance";
Book #13: Out of the Woods with its spotlight on a dozen projects inspired Elsebeth's natural surroundings & environment;
Book #15: Out of the Blue with 13 non-traditional designs & shapes for women, men & children; and
Book #16: Touch of Romance filled with romantic & feminine designs to showcase the wonders of "Calm Wool."
Consider Fabulous Valentine's Day Gifts for Your Special Relatives & Friends
Now we're definitely getting in the mood to celebrate a little bit this month as the cold weather continues, so we're thinking that everyone in our lives deserves a little pick-me-up for Valentine's Day in a few weeks. From children to significant others and from grandparents to friends, we have some marvelous ideas for enjoying the holiday in style, so here are staff recommendations:
Join us in seeing spots before our eyes with the whimsical Spottie Dottie Socks project. We can certainly see why this nifty design is featured in the brand-new issue of Cast On for Knitters magazine, and it is truly spectacular knitted in Kureyon Sock and Trekking Undyed.
Then for a touch of home decor, we suggest you take a peek at two projects -- the Crocheted Rose-Red Heart Rug and the Heart Pillow by Debbie Bliss.
Next for the wee ones in your life, the Kashmir Queen of Hearts Blanket is a truly divine baby blanket that's heirloom quality. Or consider the sensational Kashmir Baby Adoration Sweater with its frilly edges & Louisa Harding's superb use of traditional hearts in a non-traditional design. Even a unisex baby sweater design can work with hearts as in the adorable Baby Blatt Heart Motif Sweater for boys & girls.
For older girls and preteens, we recommend the Del Cerro Sweetheart Pullover along with the matching cap -- the Del Cerro Sweetheart Hat. Other surefire winners for little girls are the ever-popular Child's Heart Top from shadow knitting aficionado Vivian Hoxbro, and the cute Handknit Cotton Heart Sweater showcasing Handknit Cotton yarn from Rowan.
And we're sure that teens and women will enjoy the Hearts & Cables V-Neck Vest (also available in a scoop-necked version), the Hearts on a String Sweater and the Button Heart Bag with its interesting accents & trim.
Check Out Our Recent Expansion of the Cashmere Merino Silk Yarn Collection from Sublime
Because of your fabulous response to Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK and Cashmere Merino Silk DK, just yesterday we added another yarn weight in this luscious fiber collection along with new colors of the DK-weight versions. That means that we now carry the full "family" of yarns so that you can keep your family and friends well outfitted throughout most of the year!
To start with, we're very excited to have added to our Sublime Yarn selection yesterday the superb Cashmere Merino Silk Aran yarn. When you crave an exquisite blend of cashmere & silk spun with only the best quality Himalayan cashmere, then "Cashmere Merino Silk Aran" is the perfect choice for your worsted/aran weight projects. Fantastic stitch definition for even the most intricate cable patterns yet just as lovely in simple stockinette or single crochet, "Cashmere Merino Silk Aran" is one of the softest, most versatile fiber blends in our yarn family.
Then we've also added all of the new colors for the two DK-weight fiber blends too. Take a peek at the fabulous 13 new colors added for your precious little ones in the Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK. Feminine "Cheeky" (#48), "Mousse" (#121) & "Rosy" (#126) caught our eye for all the little girls we know, while "Bathtub" (#125) & "Paddle" (#100) give you more traditional boy colors and "Bunny" (#14), "Custard" (#101) and "Jammy" (#102) are more unisex. Then in ever-popular Cashmere Merino Silk DK come the latest 11 new solids including such terrific additions as "Garbo" (#53), "Duck" (#109), "Artichoke" (#108) & "Shortbread" (#128). (By the way, is anyone else getting a little hungry with these new color names???)
We also now have in stock two new Sublime Books with more on their way to us any day. We especially love Sublime 608: The Second Sublime Aran Book filled with wonderful designs for women, men & children. Inspired by the jaunty sailor styles and glamorous film stars and reminiscent of South of France fashions in the 1960s, these 16 designs range from simple tunics to straightforward tops to elegant cables. Then for all the adorable children in your life, explore the wide range of projects in Sublime 613: Children's DK Book. From the trendy, toasty sweaters to the fun hats & scarves, this booklet is jam-packed with sweaters, tops & accessories for both girls & boys.
Spring Forward with New Berroco Books Featuring Warm Weather Fashions & Yarns
OK, if you're like the rest of us in the U.S., you have a bad case of cabin fever and were totally bummed out yesterday when Pennsylvania's own Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators, saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. Then here in Ohio we were hoping for a split decision but then learned that Buckeye Chuck also awoke to a partly sunny day and saw his little rodent reflection too! Well, our immediate prescription for what ails you & all of us is to sit back and enjoy a terrific spring preview of what's already in stock in our Berroco books department and our Berroco Yarn collection.
First of all, we're very excited that Berroco Design Director Norah Gaughan has put her creative genius to work and developed another fantastic pattern collection for many of the new spring & summer yarns. Berroco: Norah Gaughan Volume 4 is divided into two separate sections for your enjoyment: "Flower Child" includes patterns inspired by the romantic realm of a mythic hippie, while "Excess" covers the current trends of draping, ruching and tucking. All 12 designs carry with them Norah's signature elements and geometrical shaping too.
Also take a look at the other five pattern collections, each one dedicated to a specific yarn or group of yarns:
Berroco #282: Latitude is a set of eight designs including tops & vests plus a cardi, a pullover, a scarf & a bag project. Add that all the garments are sized up to 2X, and you have a great booklet for a wide range of shapes & sizes.
Next comes Berroco #283: Seduce & Bonsai featuring eight projects also sized up to 2X for the current Seduce and Bonsai along with new multi-colored versions of each yarn.
Then for those who love the "Comfort" yarn collection, check out Berroco #284: Family Comfort with its 21 garments & accessories and a real value priced at only $6.85.
Berroco #285: Linen Picnic includes 10 spectacular patterns showcasing such linen-blends as Linen Jeans & NaturLin.
The final new spring/summer book is Berroco #286: Mica with 10 warm-weather projects like scarves, tops & bags.
Check Out Yarnmarket's New YouTube Spot & Sign Up for Updates
We know from the sales of the Knitting Daily TV - Series 100 DVD that you enjoy getting tips, yarn updates and project ideas from this PBS offering produced by Interweave Knits and co-sponsored by Yarnmarket. Well, a few months ago several of us taped 13 more episodes for the 200 series, and we've just gotten a preview copy of one of them. Of course, we couldn't just keep this exciting news to ourselves -- we decided to post it to a new Yarnmarket YouTube location so that you can view the TV preview and subscribe to get notices about follow-up postings. Or if you prefer, you can view the spot through our January 30, 2009 entry on our Yarnmarket blog Shear Bagatelle. And yes, before you start asking, that's yours truly, your newsletter editor, as the knitting expert giving the tips on fixing some common knitting mistakes!
Reminders about Our Pattern Contest, New Online Fashion Magazine & Customer Service
First off, remember that the deadline for submitting your patterns to the contest we're co-sponsoring with the The Knitting Guild Association (TKGA) is March 11, 2009, so you have about five weeks to get your submissions turned in. You can win Yarnmarket gift certificate in one of six categories -- Women's Fashion Classic, Women's Fashion Forward, Men's Wear, Children's Fashion, Baby's Fashion & Accessories -- and the one chosen as overall best design will receive a $1000 certificate.
Check out the contest rules & entry form for the complete details.
There's also still time to sign up for your email alert for Knitch Magazine, Yarnmarket's brand-new, online, quarterly fashion publication. Subscribing to the alerts will ensure you don't miss any of the updates for the winter issue or the release of the spring issue due out the end of March. Also thanks for your enthusiastic response & comments about the interviews, trends overviews, "purls" of wisdom & free patterns already featured and please keep your feedback coming so we can continue to make Knitch relevant & exciting!
And last but certainly not least, you know that we the staff of www.yarnmarket.com pride ourselves on our customer service. Each order is packed with pride by Alma, Amy, Lisa, Tina, Julie or Emily –- and we’re happy to say that although we have the occasional glitch, we have an almost 99% accuracy rate. If something does go wrong, we’ll do everything we can to make it right for you . . . right away! Just send us an e-mail at orders@yarnmarket.com or call us at 1-888-996-9276, and we’ll take care of the problem. Our customer service hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.
Thanks for reading, and we wish you a Happy Valentine's Day coming up plus we recommend you celebrate President's Day in the U.S. with some shopping if you're fortunate enough to have the day off.
And as always,
Happy Knitting & Crocheting!
Your Yarnmarket Knitting Store Staff
Yarnmarket, BargainYARNS and Yarndex are subsidiaries of Yarnmarket, LLC. Yarnmarket is an online yarn retailer with over 500 quality brands from 50 leading manufacturers, plus patterns, books and accessories. BargainYARNS provides discounts on fashionable yarns and accessories. Yarndex is a free online yarn directory offering detailed information about specific yarns from leading manufacturers.
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